Capt Songchai Phuangrod of the Phuket City Police said police were notified of the incident at 2:25pm.
Police and Kusoldharm rescue workers arrived to find the man had climbed up a large billboard frame on a building rooftop beside Thepkrasattri Rd northbound in Moo 6, Rassada.
“Rescue workers failed to calm the man down, so they asked a Myanmar worker to climb up to talk with him. It took 30 minutes, but he finally came down,” Capt Songchai said.
The man, who Capt Songchai identified only as “Mr Ngakura”, was taken to Phuket City Police Station for questioning.
“Mr Ngakura is a construction worker and was staying at a camp near the scene,” Capt Songchai said.
“One of his friends told police that Mr Ngakura was recently dumped by his partner,” he added.
Mr Ngakura apparently climbed up another building in the area in a state of emotional distress at around 7pm on Friday (Feb 7).
“A security guard found him and called police. He fled when police arrived at the scene,” Capt Songchai said.
Mr Ngakura was not charged over the incident, Capt Songchai added.
“Police made a report of the incident and let him go back to the camp,” he said.
If you know of someone in need of help... There is a "One Stop Crisis Centre" at each government hospital on the island that can help people cope with emotional distress, or Thai speakers can call the 1300 help hotline.